And let's not forget the classic Blood Music! I also read his first novel Hegira last year and it was interesting, to say the least. Not a novel I would recommend to anyone wanting to get into Greg Bear's work, but definitely very thought-provoking. It was very fantasy-like but at the same time absolutely hard sf in its fundamentals and with a serious 'wow' factor by the end. But I can imagine a lot of people disliking it.

I also consider his fantasy duology one of my favourites. I read it as the omnibus edition titled Songs of Earth and Power. This is a work that you can call a fantasy with rivets. Excellent stuff, and better than 85-90% of the more generic fantasy I've come across. Plus dealing with one of my favourite themes/motifs: music. Strangely, this was one of the earliest fantasy works I read after I'd gone through my introductory high with Lord of the Rings, and then a massive low with the Wheel of Time and Sword of Truth series. I then went on to some other great fantasy authors, but Greg Bear's fantasy was amongst those early reads and was very unique. Tightly plotted, too.

Cool, Songs of Earth and Power book 1 is on Kindle Unlimited and thus free. I like all of his sci-fi, and especially Forge of God which affected me strongly. The sequel however I stopped fairly early on. Thanks for the rec Boreas.

I could start saying : Read "Eon"... or, for a more down-to-Earth stories, "Darwin's Radio" and "Darwin's Children"

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I listened to Darwin's Radio on audio, as anything to do with evolution catches my attention, enjoyed the science, the plot not so much... and one of the most abrupt and confusing endings I've ever experienced.
Blood Music is in the same camp, thought provoking (scary) science that should have made for a good story... but it was the ending again, it had no punch.

I read Blood Music when I was around 17 and it was my introduction to Bear. At the time, it really blew me away with its take on a particular type of biological transcendence that I've still not come across anywhere else (please point me to more stories like these if anyone knows). And yeah, it really did give me the creeps. Years later, I came across the original short story and did remember thinking that it was tighter than the expanded short novel.

I've actually not read too much Greg Bear and he's someone I've wanted to explore in more detail for some time now. Forge of God and its sequel Anvil of Stars are definitely on my to-be-read list.

I hope you like Bear's fantasy, @kenubrion. It's not going to be a fast-paced story, but I did find it gripping and epic. It's a portal fantasy that takes place both on Earth (Los Angles) and in an alternate world/dimension of the Sidhe. But as I remember it, these Sidhe were much darker, harsher and more cruel compared to more traditional representations from Shakespeare to Tolkien. And of course, the key to it all is music - in an imaginary, unfinished concerto supposedly composed by the great Mahler. What I remember loving about this story was Bear's take on a creation mythos of evolution and even de-evolution. Thought-provoking fantasy.

I could start saying : Read "Eon"... or, for a more down-to-Earth stories, "Darwin's Radio" and "Darwin's Children"

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hear, hear. Definitely read Eon as a step towards reading the even more interesting Eternity. Eon is up there with 2001 for me. Even though Bear comes off a bit dry and mechanical at first, he sets the stage and tone for being able to describe one of the more far reaching and creative stories. The scope of the story is grand. The more far-out the better.

hear, hear. Definitely read Eon as a step towards reading the even more interesting Eternity. Eon is up there with 2001 for me. Even though Bear comes off a bit dry and mechanical at first, he sets the stage and tone for being able to describe one of the more far reaching and creative stories. The scope of the story is grand. The more far-out the better.